Love, Faith and Hope
by ListeningToTheSilence
Summary: An old friend reunites with Regina in Storybrooke, but they have to go through many hardships together. As Henry begins to see the light in Regina, Cora's taking any chance she gets to make life miserable for everyone. ThiefQueen.
1. It's Been Too Long

A/N: This is an account made between a friend and I. It's our first fanfic, so constructive criticism is welcome. Please, no flames.

-Café au Lait, the story writer.

-Skyliner, the editor. (I actually did a lot of work. Don't you guys dare consider me as a minor part of the credits ;)

Disclamer: Neither of us own Once Upon a Time.

* * *

**CHAPTER ONE**

Regina was at Granny's Diner staring down at her cup of coffee, thinking about what she could do now that Cora was in Storybrooke. The bell chimed and Emma, Rumple and Henry came in. Snow and Charming went and gave Emma a heartwarming hug. Henry moved away from the small crowd that was now surrounding Emma, and quietly walked to Regina. Regina didn't notice, however, being too focused on her thoughts. Henry wondered what was keeping Regina so occupied. He missed Regina, having not seen her for almost a month. Without a warning, Henry hugged Regina. She was so surprised, she nearly tipped over the chair. She noticed that something was a little bit off about Henry.

"Are you okay, Henry?" Regina asked.

"I'm fine, Mom. I just missed you. Sorry for saying you killed Archie and all."

Regina tilted Henry's chin up until they met each others gaze.

"I know that look Henry, you're lying to me. Tell me the truth. What happened?"

Henry hugged Regina tightly, now in tears.

"She lied to me! Emma lied to me! I trusted her! Why does everyone lie to me? Why can't I know the truth? Why can't people just be honest for once!"

Everyone's attention was now on Henry, surprised at his sudden outburst. The only sound that could be heard was Henry sobbing in Regina's arms. Regina started rubbing circles on his back whispering assuring words to him.

Snow and Charming turned their gaze to Emma, hurt.

"Emma, how bad was it? Did you say that you did it to protect him?"

"I did, but he still wouldn't talk to me. I wonder if this was how Regina felt when he found out about all the lies," she said quietly.

"Emma, she didn't only lie. Regina also killed and destroyed so many lives. She took you away from us!"

"I know, but what if she created this curse to have a second chance? I'm sure I would want a second chance if I had a life like that," Emma said, trying to be logical.

Snow, Charming, and Emma now inched closer to Henry, wanting to hear what Regina was going to say.

Regina lowered her head to Henry's height.

"Henry, you might be too young to understand, but people lie because they think that by doing this they're protecting themselves and the ones they love. They don't want the burden of causing their loved ones pain, so they lie, thinking everything will be alright if they didn't know. I know lying is wrong, but sometimes it's easier and seems like the right decision to make. It's similar to this curse. Sometimes I want to forget about everything that happened in the Enchanted Forest because I believe that knowledge is power. It can inflict pain, yet it can also heal broken wounds."

Henry nodded, and was silent for a moment.

"Why are you protecting Emma? I thought you didn't like her," he finally said.

"I'm not siding with anyone, I just want you to understand why people lie, alright?"

"Alright," he said quietly.

At that moment, the bell chimed and a stranger walked in, surprising everyone but Emma in the diner.

"Who is this?" Snow asked.

Emma cleared her throat.

"Everyone, this is Neal. He is Gold's son and Henry's biological father."

Everyone in the diner greeted Neal, most with a hint of surprise on their faces.

"These are my parents," Emma said, now introducing everyone to Neal. "This is Henry's adoptive mother, Regina, also known as the Evil Queen, and this is everyone else."

"Wait, is this Regina, Regina Mills?"

Regina shook Neil's hand.

"It's been a while, Bae."

Neal looked at Regina's face and a smile started to appear. He let go of her hands and then gave her a hug. As Regina returned the hug, she said, "I missed you."

Everyone was shocked. Snow was the first to recover.

"How do you know Neal? Or Bae, whichever he prefers."

Neal and Regina looked at each other and both sighed. After a small talk between each other, Neal took a deep breath. Regina was becoming slightly agitated since Neal was about to explain how he met her, and when Neal _did_ meet her, she wasn't the Evil Queen that she was known as today.

**•••**


	2. The Reason Why

A/N: Thank you guys for all the follows, favourites, and reviews!

-Skye

* * *

**CHAPTER TWO**

Rumple was alert now, interested in how his son met the queen.

"After I ended up in another land," he said while glancing at Rumple. "I searched the area for a portal to go back to the Enchanted Forest. I found one after a little searching. I returned, and I wanted to find my father, but after hearing how much dark magic had changed him, I wondered if I really wanted to see him again. I decided to leave my father alone for a while, and found a place to settle in. There, I became friends with a guy named Daniel. We became really close since we both had one thing in common: we didn't have a close relationship with our parents. During my stay there, he'd talked on and on about a girl who he claimed was the fairest of them all."

Regina smiled sadly, hearing this part.

"I was the one who told him that the family were in need of a stable boy, so he applied. Next thing I knew, they were in love, and engaged. That night, when Daniel..." he hesitated, and glanced over at Regina. Regina took a deep breath and gave a slight nod. "When Daniel died, I tried to get close to Regina to comfort her, but I couldn't with her mother there. After his death, she turned to my father for help. I still wasn't ready to face my father yet, so upon hearing this, I left."

Regina's eyes were now filled with tears. Henry was surprised that her mother found true love, and Snow was shocked to find out that Rumplestiltskin's son, and Henry's father, was the one who introduced Daniel to Regina. The whole diner froze, all wondering what happened to this Daniel that made the Evil Queen so happy. Henry, now connecting the dots, looked up at the two adults enthusiastically.

"Where is he now? Maybe he's just in a coma like how David was! We can all go and find him! Maybe you're still able to have your happy ending. He must be here in Storybrooke!"

Neal could see that his best friend's fiance was about to break down, so he gave her a hug, trying to comfort her. Emma had no idea what was going on. Why was the cold-hearted mayor she knew crying? She was pulled to the side with Henry by Snow and Charming. Snow looked at the sobbing figure of Regina, and looked at Emma and Henry.

"Listen, it doesn't matter if Regina is the Evil Queen or not. She was in love and she was happy. The reason she's crying is because Daniel died..."

Giving Charming a glance, he finished her sentence, "Twice."

They whispered all this to Henry, so Regina couldn't hear them.

"He was the man that attacked you in the stables. He was brought back but he wasn't the person she once knew. Because of this, Regina had to kill him to prevent him from hurting anybody else," Snow said in a rush.

"She killed him!" Emma gasped.

* * *

Once Regina stopped crying, a small smile appeared on her face. She looked at Neal gratefully.

"It's been awhile since I had a shoulder to cry on, Neal," she said, laughing slightly. "I know that you left after I began learning magic in attempts to bring Daniel back, but a lot has happened since you left. As you've heard, I did become the Evil Queen. I totally understand if you wanted to leave."

Neal looked at Regina like she was crazy. "Are you kidding me? My best friend was supposed to marry you. He even told me to be his best man. Even if you did do all those things, I know that you were trying to change your ways, and I can see that you're still trying," Neal said. "Look, I know I shouldn't have left you with my father, but I was a coward, I couldn't stand seeing him. The one to blame is me. I should've stopped my father from doing this to you."

Gold wanted to protest. He never thought his son would think of him that way. He opened his mouth, and was about to say something, when the bell chimed. Cora strutted into the diner, ignoring all the horrified stares she was receiving. She spotted who she was looking for and gave a wicked smile.

"Dear, where have you been? I've been waiting for you back at the mansion for a long time already. I thought you were only going to buy a cup of coffee and leave." Cora looked around the diner and saw a family reunion was happening.

Regina inched away from Neal, wiping her tears. "Mother, go home. I just got caught up in the moment."

Cora looked at the man standing right next to Regina and saw the surprised look on his face. She looked at him with her eyebrows creased, as if trying to remember something, like who Neal was. Her eyes lit up when she finally remembered the person standing right next to Regina. When she was about to speak, he cut her off.

"Nice to meet you again, Mrs. Mills."

•••


	3. Poisoned Words

A/N: Thank you guys all for the follows and the favorites. Please leave a review to tell us how you feel about the story so far. Café au Lait and I have decided to post chapters every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (HKT).

**-**Skyliner

P.S. Neither of us own Once Upon a Time.

**CHAPTER THREE**

"What a lovely surprise," Cora said, eyes cold. She was clearly displeased at the figure standing in front of her eyes. "Are you trying to introduce another man in my daughter's life?"

Neal glared daggers at Cora, but didn't say anything. She observed the diner and spotted Henry. She kneeled down to Henry's level, and, out of nowhere, started taunting him about how mothers knew best. Regina stared in disbelief. She soon had enough and screamed,

"Don't you dare poison my son or anyone in the diner with words like that. Go home, I'll be there soon."

Regina felt a sharp sense of pain come across her face. Her cheeks began to redden.

"Don't order me around. I am your mother, not your slave. Don't you dare tell me what I can and can't do. As for your son, he needs to be punished for what he has done to you."

Snow and Emma were about to say something when Regina stopped them both by giving them a glare. She put her hand on her cheek to calm the pain.

"You are unbelievable," Regina blurted out. "I just told you not to hurt anyone, and I get slapped in the face! Oh right, because you wouldn't stand up for your child when they're getting hurt. I've learned it the hard way, but at least I learnt my lesson. You should never punish your own children, because if they've had enough, they will run away from you."

Another flash of pain came across her cheek. Regina now had tears in her eyes. Neal held Regina's arm, trying to comfort her.

"Oh, Bae," Cora said, sighing. "Is killing your friend not enough? Do I need to kill you too?"

Regina put her arm in front of Neal as a sign to protect him. Cora saw this move and smirked.

"Oh dear, are you trying to protect your friend? It didn't do you any good when you protected that filthy stable boy. It didn't get you anywhere, now, did it? But look at magic, it brought you a throne."

"I loved Daniel. It doesn't matter how many thrones I get; I will always love him. Being Queen meant nothing to me then, and still means nothing to me now. Yet it's the only thing I have. I was going to be happy, I was about to be free, yet you took it all away from me!"

Cora was really mad at the way Regina was talking back to her. Yesterday, her daughter obeyed her every word. Now, because of this filthy person she called a friend, she changed her mind completely.

Regina was suddenly lifted into the air. Her body was clasped to a metal rod. It seems like only yesterday that the same exact scene played out. Regina couldn't breathe; she struggled against the metal rod, trying to escape. Neal realized what was happening, and, in attempts to save Regina, ran towards Cora. He was about to slam her to the ground when a wave of magic forced him backwards.

"Now," Cora said, merciless. "Say the words I want to hear."

"Sorry, Mother," she managed to choke out.

Cora, finally satisfied, let Regina go. Regina gasped for air, panting heavily.

"Regina, you never listen to me. I told you not to be with these people, yet you're here. Why won't you listen to your mother?"

She looked at everyone's horrified expressions, and stifled a laugh.

"I'm expecting you back home soon," Cora said, finally walking out the door.

Once Cora left, Emma, Henry, Neal, and the Charmings ran to help Regina up. They helped her up on her feet, and began to see the red marks from the rod form.

Regina, still getting a hold of her breath, said,

"I'm fine. I need to get back soon, or she'll get angrier."

"No, you can't go back to that witch. She'll kill you!" Neil said, looking at her worriedly.

The majority of the people in the diner agreed that she shouldn't go back.

"What am I suppose to do, just run from her? She could kill you all with a flick of her wrist," she protested indignantly.

Gold finally spoke up. "I agree with Regina. She should go back."

Everyone began to argue and Neal looked at him in disgust.

"Listen, Cora may torture Regina constantly, but even though Cora is like that, she won't kill her own daughter. The reason why is because underneath it all, a mother will always love her child no matter what."

With that said, something sparked in Snow's mind.

•••


	4. The Sacrifices We Make

A/N: Café and I just want to thank everyone who has viewed our story so far. We've reached 600 views! Now, that may not mean a lot to some people out there, but as beginners, it means a lot to us. We also love every single person who has reviewed our story, and gave it a favorite and a follow. We are immensely grateful. For the past few days, smiles have been plastered on our faces. It's been stuck for so long our jaws hurt.

We extended the chapter length, from the request of Metope. (:

-Skye

P.S. We seriously do love you all 3

•••

**CHAPTER FOUR**

Neal was furious with Rumple's idea.

"What do we do, then? Wait for Regina to be tortured to death?" Neal said angrily, startling Rumple. "You don't know what she'd do to her."

Regina grabbed Neal's arm and asked for a private conversation with him. No one in the diner stopped them; they were all hoping Regina could change his mind. They walked to the corner of the diner to get some privacy.

"Neal, I know you want to protect me, but I'm a big girl now. I can protect myself. You should spend some time with your family."

"Regina, she is going to torture you. It has been so many years since we met each other. Everytime we meet, I see your mother hurting you," Neal protested. "Look, Daniel made me promise to protect you if anything happened. He made me swear to it. I don't want to break that promise, so please, let us find another way. I don't want you to get yourself hurt."

"Daniel was a great man, but I don't want my mother hurting anyone else, especially his best friend. Please, just spend some time getting to know Henry and everyone else, I'll try meeting up with you as much as I can."

Regina slowly made her way out the door, going back home. Neal walked back to the crowd gathering around the Charmings, face glum. The diner was buzzing with talk about Regina and Cora. After talking, everyone took a seat in the diner. Charming sat at one of the booths wondering what they should to do next. Charming couldn't stand the silence.

"If we save Regina, Cora will come after Henry or us, so..."

Neal interrupted Charming.

"If we leave Regina, she'll die. I've seen what Cora has done to her daughter. She'll die if we leave her."

Henry stared at his father for a moment.

"Why aren't you scared of her? Everyone else runs away. I think you're the first person to ever hug her, apart from myself."

Emma nudged Henry's knee, signaling him to be quiet. Neal didn't notice this action, and tried to explain it the best way he can.

"I'm not scared of her because I knew who she was. This whole Evil Queen persona is just a facade. She knew people would be afraid of her if she was powerful, because then no one would dare hurt her."

Henry was quiet for a while.

"What was she like before becoming the Evil Queen?" he asked finally.

Neal glanced at Snow and Charming before answering the question.

"She was one of the nicest, smartest and one of the best horseback riders I've ever met."

"My mom knows how to ride horses?" Henry asked, eyes filled with wonder.

"You didn't know?" Neal said, surprised. "She was an amazing horseback rider. She always said that she found solace in riding horses. She stopped riding when Daniel died, though, because it reminded too much of him."

"I don't mean to barge into this father-son bonding time, but we should focus on the problem at hand," Snow said.

Neal sighed. The worry returned to his face.

"Are you sure Regina is going to be abused to death?" Snow asked slowly.

"No, but I do know that Cora would inflict pain until she gets what she wants. I also know that Cora wants her daughter to obey all of her commands at the moment."

"So what the hell are we suppose to do?" Emma said, butting in.

"She just needs to remember that she isn't alone in this. She needs to know that the town of Storybrooke feels something good towards her, because once she thinks she's alone, she'll give in."

"Why are you so concerned for her? I also knew her before she became evil, but you are going out on a limb here. She had done merciless things that you don't even want to know."

Neal looked at Snow.

"I'm doing this because I feel guilty."

Snow and Charming were surprised and slightly confused by his answer.

"She wouldn't had learnt magic if I hadn't left her in the hands of my father. When one is powerless for a long time, to have control can make you..." Neal hesitated, trying his best not to look at his father. "...do unimaginable things. "

•••

Neal and the Charmings decided to follow Regina, for the sake of making Neal feel better. Emma had told Henry to stay with Ruby in the diner, since she couldn't risk him getting hurt. They followed her back to the mansion. As they peeked through the corner of a window, they overheard a small argument going on.

"Mother, please, forget what had just happened," Regina pleaded.

"Fine, but if you want to play like that, I suggest you keep your son safe," Cora said coldly.

"Don't hurt Henry. You hurt him, I hurt you. I don't care if you're my mother or not," Regina said, trying her best to look fearless.

"Are you threatening me, dear?" Cora asked indignantly. "That is a very bad idea."

Emma, hearing this, began to worry about Henry, still in the diner. Cora disappeared in a puff of purple smoke.

"No, Mother!" Regina screamed.

Regina, too, vanished.

Snow, Charming, Emma, and Neal were concerned for Henry and Regina, so they hopped in their car and drove as fast as they could back to the diner. Once they arrived, they burst through the doors, and stopped dead in their tracks. Cora was holding a knife against Henry's throat, smirking at Regina's desperate expression.

"I told you it was a bad idea to threaten me," she said, taunting Regina.

"Mother, please leave Henry alone! This is just between you and me."

"What are you so afraid of?" Cora asked, faking innocence. "Love is weakness. Are you telling me that you love Henry?"

Emma had the urge to punch Cora in the face, but was able to keep herself at the door next to her family. She was afraid that if she moved Cora would kill her mercilessly.

"No, I don't love Henry. He isn't my son anymore since he was taken away from me. You don't need to kill him. He isn't my weakness anymore," Regina lied, trying to use a different tactic apart from threatening.

Henry, believing these words, was shocked to hear this from Regina. His eyes started welling up with tears, words still ringing in his ears.

Cora glanced at the Charmings and back at Regina.

"How stupid do you think I am, dearie?" Cora asked, voice angrier than ever. "You love Henry; he is your weakness. That's why Snow White managed to hurt you again; she took your son away from you."

An idea popped into Regina's mind.

"You're right, he is my weakness, but I want to protect him. I want to propose a deal."

"Darling, you don't have anything I want."

"Just listen to my proposal," Regina said, praying that the plan would work. "You leave Henry and everyone in this diner alone. You don't hurt them at all, and I will give you my heart."

Regina said the last two words dreadfully. Everyone in the diner was shocked to see the Evil Queen proposing to give up her own heart for the savior's son.

"You can't do this!" Emma hissed in her ear. "She'd control you!"

"Do we have a deal?" Regina asked, ignoring Emma completely.

Cora let go of Henry, who ran towards Emma as fast as he could. Seeing this, Cora threw the knife towards Snow's direction. Regina noticed the knife, and ran towards Snow, creating a barrier between her and the knife. The knife stabbed Regina in the stomach.

Snow realized what happened and for a moment she was paralyzed and lost for words. She recovered slightly, though her eyes was still wide with fear.

"No!" Snow screamed.

Snow screamed so loudly everyone's ears in the diner were ringing. Nobody cared, however. They were too focused staring in shock at Regina's wound. Blood poured out of the wound, and soon after a few seconds, there was a pool of blood on the floor. Cora, also shocked, stared at her daughter.

"You foolish girl!" Cora exclaimed, clearly mad and disappointed. "Your long-time enemy was about to get killed and you protect her!"

Henry ran towards her mother, sobbing.

"Mom, no!" Henry yelled, kneeling next to his mother. "You changed! You were good! Don't leave me, I need you!"

Henry's words were nearly indecipherable as he was crying too hard. Regina managed to smirk at Cora.

"Mother, you're the one foolish here. Unlike you, I held my responsibilities as a mother, but you never did. I protected my children," Regina spat out.

That took out a lot of energy from Regina. She tried to breath, but it was ragged and uneven. Cora was laughing.

"You're trying to protect your children? You've tried killing her so many times."

Regina lift her head up with a lot of difficulty, and looked at her mother standing not far from her.

"I never wanted Snow to die. I just wanted to take away her happy ending, like how you took away mine," she said, smiling a bit.

Regina was silent for a moment.

"Huh," she said, letting out a forced laugh. "Look how that turned out."

Regina was driving Cora crazy.

"Such a waste," she said, sighing.

As she struck her hand in Regina's chest, a sudden wave blasted both of them to opposite sides of the diner.

•••


	5. Words of Love

A/N: Thanks for over 1,000 views! WickedlyHeartles said s/he wanted to have some ThiefQueen thrown in the story. Do you guys want it to be this way? Vote by PMing us or leaving it as a review. Either way is fine. The side with the most votes wins!

-Skye

**CHAPTER FIVE**

A shimmering figure began to appear in front of Regina, though the figure was distorted and deformed. A few seconds went by, and the figure began to take shape. Her wound began to feel a little funny. As she looked down, she saw that the wound was slowly healing, and the pain was starting to fade away. Once she looked back up, she stared at the figure, not knowing what to do or say. She felt a mixture of different feelings. It was Daniel.

"What...this can't be," Regina tripped over her words.

Everyone in the diner stared in shock, while some stared in confusion.

"This can't be happening..." Rumple muttered.

Cora looked immensely surprised, and for a moment just stared, just like everyone else was doing.

"Hello, Regina, Neal," Daniel said, nodding his head in acknowledgement at Neal. "It's been a while."

Daniel's voice was a bit unbalanced, but neither Regina nor Neal cared. Regina wanted to say something but no words came out.

Daniel slowly walked over to Cora, and shot her a displeased look.

"Mrs. Mills," he greeted her curtly. "You have caused so much pain in Regina's life, yet she still loves you. You should be glad there's still someone who loves you the way she does after everything you've done."

Regina and everyone else in the diner was amazed at how he stood up to Cora. He stared right into her eyes and Cora shivered. There was something frightening about Daniel. It was as if he was more powerful than Cora at the moment.

"You try to take her son, you try to hurt her again, and you will pay for it. Because of you, she couldn't have her happy ending. Because of you, she took comfort in the darkness. You better watch out, because one wrong step can get you a bloody wound."

Cora tried to gain back her confidence. She took a deep breath, and closed her eyes for a few seconds.

"Or what? You're dead, how can you kill me?"

"Oh, you better watch out Mrs. Mills," Daniel said, a smirk on his face. "I doubt you mean that. I know so many people that you killed that wants your head on a silver plate."

Cora stepped back, afraid, and magicked herself out of the diner.

Daniel took a deep breath and turned around only to see Regina's worried face. He knelt beside her, and began talking.

"I know you're head is filled with questions, but it's complicated. I don't have much time."

"What do you mean you don't have time? Can't you stay?" Regina asked.

Regina tried to give Daniel a hug, but her arms went right through him.

"Why can't I hug you?" she asked.

For a moment she looked like a small child. Daniel smiled sadly.

"I'm a lost soul."

Daniel reached out to touch Regina's face, but only succeeded in passing his hand through her face. A tear rolled down his cheek. Regina was close to crying. He stood up quickly and turned to face Neal, who was still staring at him in shock.

"Neal," Daniel said, laughing. "Don't give me that face."

Neal broke out into a huge, sad smile, and started tearing up.

"Thank you for keeping your promise," he said.

Neal smiled at him. Daniel turned around and saw Henry. He gave him a warm smile.

"Are you my stepfather?" Henry asked timidly.

"I guess I am," Daniel said.

Daniel turned back to Regina, eyes shining.

"Remember when we used to dream of having a son with brown hair and hazel eyes?" he asked, kneeling back down to Regina's level.

"Of course," Regina said, smiling with her head down.

"We used to say that he'd be the best horse rider known to man. That he'd gallop on a horse through the fields with us behind him having as much fun as he was."

Daniel laughed. Regina took in the sound with her eyes closed, trying to make time stop so that she and Daniel could stay like this forever, just like they used to. She started laughing too. Daniel tilted her chin up so that they met each others gaze.

"I love you, Regina. I truly do. You were a wonderful mother. Even if you doubt it, I'm sure many others will agree with me. A lot of things have happened after my death. You've been through your brightest and your darkest moments. Even though all this happened, I just want you to know that I'll always be in your heart."

Everyone in the diner could hear this, and all of them were teary-eyed, drowning in the loving speech Daniel was giving.

"You've taken care of Henry very well over the past years. You and I both know that the reason why he doesn't feel loved is because you locked your feelings away. Open up a bit, people might be able to see what I see. You. You're beautiful, smart, loving, and you're all that I can ask for, but you have to understand that our dream isn't going to happen. I meant what I said at the stables; you should find someone else to love. If you don't I'd be devastated."

"I can't live without you," Regina said, eyes pleading at Daniel to stay. "Henry's not my son anymore, my father's gone, you're going to leave. My mother was right. I've been bad for too long, I have no purpose anymore. What am I supposed to fight for? You're here, and I feel complete. But you have to leave. Why do I always lose the people I love the most?"

"I know you, and, to me, you're the fairest of all the lands. I know that you will find a way because in your heart somewhere, there's something called true love. True love always finds a way, no matter what. Goodbye to you, my fiance, Regina Mills. I love you, and I'll stay in your heart forever."

Regina was crying, tears streaming down her face.

"Goodbye Neal," he said, turning to Neal once more. "You've been a great friend. Please take care of Regina for me."

Neal nodded. He was overwhelmed with emotions he couldn't decipher. He was happy, sad, and angry all at once. Happy that Daniel was here, sad that he died, and angry because he had to leave. Regina looked towards Daniel, and said her final words.

"I love you, Daniel, and you would always, always, have a place in my heart."

These were their final goodbyes.

•••


	6. For the Lives You Destroyed

A/N: From the votes we got, many people were saying they want ThiefQueen. So we shall - kind of. You'll see what we mean in the next chapter. Thank you guys once again for the favorites, the follows, the reviews, and for over 1,000 views! We love you all.

-Skye

P.S. We included a second character now - Neal.

**CHAPTER SIX**

Regina stayed on the floor, sobbing. She didn't resist Snow's attempt to help her onto a chair. The diner was silent. The only sound heard was Regina's crying. After a few minutes, Regina regained her breath, but still had hiccups every so often. Everyone looked at her, and felt sorry for her. It was the first time anyone has felt this way for her, excluding Snow.

"How did he come back? He was dead, twice," Regina said shakily.

Charming looked at her sadly, finally understanding the fact that Regina was not always evil.

Rumplestiltskin interrupted the emotional moment.

"I think I can come up with an explanation."

Regina looked at Rumple expectantly, waiting for an explanation.

"You see, on the day that he died, your mother ripped his heart out, but you ran over to him and kissed him, yes?"

Regina nodded.

Emma was curious.

"What are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying that you gave Daniel true love's kiss when Cora killed him. When someone dies, their soul leaves their bodies, but true love's kiss interfered with that process. Daniel's soul traveled to Regina's heart instead, guarding it."

Henry was confused.

"Why didn't Daniel just go to heaven?"

"Because Daniel didn't want to. He wanted to stay by Regina so he became a lost soul. That's why he came out when Cora tried to rip Regina's heart out."

Everyone was silent. Rumplestiltskin continued to talk.

"This is what prevented Regina from turning too evil; she never killed Snow White, because Daniel stopped it."

"I am going to kill her," Regina said, determined.

Everyone was worried.

"Who?"

"Cora."

"You're going to kill your mother?" Snow asked incredulously, relieved she wasn't the victim anymore.

"She has taken too much away from me. I'm going to kill her and put an end to this."

Rumple thought about what she said.

"I'll teach you some tricks. You're going to need it."

Emma and Charming were now alert.

"You are going to teach Regina, the Evil Queen, more magic?"

Charming chimed in.

"Why can't you teach Emma? Regina already has magic. Plus, Emma is the Savior, she broke the curse."

Rumple found this statement annoying, and replied.

"Savior or not, Regina's her daughter. I have to teach Regina the tricks, not your daughter." Rumple said.

His expression said he didn't want to talk about it any further.

"Regina could use the trick to kill us. Why can't you teach my daughter to defeat Cora?" Snow challenged.

Regina stood up and looked at everyone.

"Because it's not expected. To know that someone else wants to kill her is more obvious, I am her daughter and because of that, she won't know it is me..." she looked at Snow. "Under all the hate and pain, a mother will always love her children."

Snow was slightly surprised at this, but she couldn't help but smile at Regina from what she had said. Neal furrowed his eyebrows, troubled.

"You can't go," Neal said finally. "She'll kill you. You might not stand a chance."

Regina sighed. Neal was starting to get on her nerves.

"I need to, Neal," she said, trying to keep the annoyance from appearing in her voice. "It's the only way to keep everyone in Storybrooke safe."

After bickering with each other for a little while longer, Neal finally gave in, but warned Regina to promise him she'd stay alive. It was a hard promise to keep.

"Before you start training, though, you need to restore your magic powers. They're too low right now," Rumple said, interjecting the staring competition Neal and Regina were having.

"How do we do that, then?" Regina asked.

"Through emotion."

Regina was confused.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you gain your magic powers back through emotions, good or bad."

"Don't you dare," Neal exclaimed.

Everyone stared at him, confused.

"Don't you dare try to tap into those emotions."

"Why?" Regina asked.

"Because Daniel just told me to protect you, so I'm not going to let you do that."

"What are you guys talking about?" Snow asked, interjecting.

They both looked at Snow, and Neal sighed.

"She wants to tap into her pained emotions."

"Why can't I?" Regina challenged. "That's the emotion I know best. Why, do you have a suggestion?"

Neal smiled; an idea just formed in his mind.

"I know just the thing," he said, and blindfolded Regina.

Neal led Regina out of the diner and into his car. He was grinning from ear to ear now. They drove for a while, and Regina constantly asked where they were going.

"We're nearly there," Neal said.

"Where exactly are we going?" Regina asked for the hundredth time.

Neal didn't reply. He turned right and arrived at the gravel road that lead them to their destination.

They finally arrived at the destination. Neal got out of the car and helped Regina out too. Neal then proceeded to take the blindfold off Regina. Regina smiled. They were at the stables.


	7. The Past as We Know It

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

Regina didn't know if she was happy or sad at the fact that she was at the stables. She still loved horses, but she had to kill Daniel the last time she was there. Regina wondered how he knew where the stables were.

"How did you know where the stables were?"

"When Emma drove us from the docks, I couldn't help but notice the stables," Neal replied, smiling a bit.

Neal guided Regina to one of the stalls and towards one of the brown horses.

"I'm a little scared," Regina said hesitantly.

Neal looked her squarely in the eyes. "Then you should ride. Remember what I said the first time you had to ride a horse? You have to face your fears. Don't worry! I'll be there right behind you."

A wave of nostalgia washed over Regina as she sat on a horse again for the first time in years. After warming up a bit and brushing up on the basics, Regina was comfortable riding again. She remembered why she loved it: she found solace in it.

Soon Regina saw a group of people arrive at the stables. It consisted of Henry, Gold, Ruby, Snow, Charming, and Emma. She glanced at Neal.

"Did you really have to invite them too?"

"Come on, they're a part of our family," Neal said, smirking.

Neal and Regina rode their horses around side by side together. Everybody was amazed at how the Evil Queen could ride so swiftly on a horse. It astonished them how Regina could be this happy. Regina then taught Henry how to ride a horse with only little success. Neal checked the time on his watch. The sun was to set.

"We can ride for a little bit longer, but we got to go soon."

Everyone looked a bit disappointed. Time passed by quickly when they hung out at the stables. After a little silence, Neal spoke up. "I challenge you, Regina Mills, to a horse race."

Everybody looked at Neal like he was out of his mind. Regina smiled and hopped onto her horse.

"Challenge accepted," she replied, adjusting her position on the saddle.

"3, 2, 1, GO!" Neal yelled.

They disappeared into the distance. Though Regina hadn't rode a horse for years, she still won. They took a rest under an apple tree nearby.

"Are you really going through with your plan?" Neal looked at Regina. "Are you really going to kill her?"

Regina looked up, surprised by the sudden question. "Come on, we're here at the stables, let's not talk about it."

"No, we need to talk about it," Neal said stubbornly. "What if you get hurt? What if you get addicted to the magic? What if-"

At that moment Regina cut him off by putting her hand on top of his.

"Enough, no more 'what if's. Stop worrying," she said, sighing in content.

Regina realized that her hand was still on top of Neal's so she pulled away. Neal grabbed her hand back.

"Please," he pleaded quietly. "Just...please."

Regina looked at him in a dazed state. She thought it was a little strange that she didn't feel uncomfortable holding his hand.

"Okay."

They held hands, sitting under the apple tree in a comfortable silence. Neal's thoughts drifted towards Regina. Her words was always able to soothe him. There was power in her voice, yet there was also a little bit of something else that made him so comfortable around her. But then she became the Evil Queen. It hurt Neal just to think about it.

"I'm sorry." Neal blurted out.

"For what?" Regina asked, surprised.

"If I didn't leave you, you wouldn't have turned out like this. If I helped you, stood up for you-"

Regina looked into his eyes. "It's okay, I know. Don't feel sorry for anything. It already happened. I am just grateful that you were there to begin with."

Neal looked up at the apple tree and a smile began to form.

"Remember when we were at your garden, planting our first apple tree. You got dirt all over you." Neal laughed.

"That apple tree is in my backyard right now. I transported it here too, it was one of my greatest and happiest moments."

They slowly moved apart, and reminisced about the first time they met, and what they thought about each other. They laughed and teased each other, much like what they did when they were younger.

After a while, an apple fell from the tree. They both leaned in to grab it, unexpectedly touching each other's hand. Something sparked inside them. They looked into each others eyes and inched closer, a smile playing on both their lips. Thoughts began to cloud their minds. Their face were inches away from each other when they heard a boy screech. Henry's horse had gone wild.

Neal and Regina broke out of their trance. Regina abruptly stood up and quickly jumped on her horse and rode off without another word. Neal was feeling guilty for doing what he did, but he also felt a small sense of joy and embarrassment beginning to creep up on him.

"Mom, help!" Henry screamed.

Neal could hear Henry screaming from where he was standing. He could see Regina and Henry's horse side by side off in the distance.

"Henry! Give me your hand," Regina yelled over the wind.

"Mom, I'm scared!" Henry said, peeking over the horse only to see the ground speeding past him in a blur.

"It's okay sweetie. Look at me. Everything will be alright," Regina said.

Henry hesitated for a moment, and then took Regina's hand. Regina pulled him up onto her horse. Henry's hand and wrist were turning red from the force that Regina used to pull him up onto the horse, but he didn't notice; he was glad he was safe. They rode back to the stables. Seeing the looks on Emma and Snow's face made Henry feel guilty. Regina noticed their looks, and sighed. Regina helped Henry get off the horse, and dusted him off once he was on the ground.

"What the hell!" Emma exclaimed, immediately rushing towards Henry's side. "Henry, you could have been killed."

Emma emphasized the last word. Henry looked down, crestfallen. "Sorry, Emma, I won't ever ride again."

Regina kneeled down to Henry's height, and almost ordered him to ride on the horse again. "Henry, you are going to ride on the horse again."

It was now Emma's time to glare at Regina.

"Are you crazy? I almost died! I won't ever ride again. That was too scary!"

Everybody was looking at Henry and Regina. Neal arrived on his horse, and slowed the horse down until it was trotting up to the group of people. He put his hand on top of Regina's shoulder with Snow watching. Regina looked at Henry.

"You're going to ride again. Look, I know it is scary, I was once scared too, even Snow was scared to ride horses, but once that fear fades, you'll love it. You don't need to ride today, but you have to face your fears. How are you going to be a knight if you don't know how to ride a horse?" Regina said.

Snow was amazed at how Regina talked to Henry. It seemed like only yesterday when Snow was the one who was scared of riding horses. Regina's calm voice could always soothe anyone.

* * *

A/N: Thank you to everyone who has been reviewing our story. We are extremely grateful for all the followers and viewers, since it is our first fanfic. This chapter is for all the ThiefQueen fans out there. I think this chapter is much more emotional than the other chapters we posted. :D

-Café

Café was crazy about this chapter. She said there were a lot of feels in this chapter, and we hope you like it. I would also like to congratulate Hannah Holloway for noticing the fact that we didn't mention how Neal knew about where the stables were. ^^

-Skye


	8. Give Up the Things You Love Most

A/N: New chapter! I honestly have no idea what to write here since I'm exhausted, so I'll just let you guys get to the reading.

-Skye

* * *

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

Regina followed Rumple to the pawn shop. They didn't talk much on the way there, each mulling in their own thoughts. The moment where she and Neal almost kissed kept on coming back to her. She couldn't stop the blush from appearing on her face. Regina and Rumple soon arrived at the pawn shop, and started talking.

"What is your relationship with Neal exactly?" Rumple asked coolly, slipping in a question.

"We're just friends," Regina replied, voice just as cool.

"Are you sure?" he asked, challenging Regina.

"Yes, I'm sure," she said hastily.

Rumple obviously didn't believe what Regina said, but quickly dismissed it. He felt a little bad for Regina, having gone through a lot.

"Shall we begin, then, dearie?" Rumple asked, smoothing out his suit.

Regina studied Rumple carefully.

"Sure," she said. "But I think you clearly know that the spells you're going to teach me won't work against my mother."

"We don't know about that," Rumple said, though his voice slightly faltered.

Regina was silent for a few moments, and finally made her mind up about something. Her voice was a little uneven when she said this.

"Give me the last spell in the book."

Rumple almost dropped his cane and for a moment he was lost for words.

"What? Are you sure?" Rumple asked, trying to confirm what his ears just took in.

"I'm sure."

"Well, dearie. You surely know that no one has ever performed this spell, or succeeded in it, for that matter."

"I know that."

"And you know you might die trying."

"Yes."

Rumple sighed. Though he didn't like Regina much, he still didn't want to hand her the spell. She was the woman who took care of his grandson, after all.

Henry had secretly followed Rumple and Regina to the pawn shop. Once he overheard Rumple saying Regina could die, his eyes widened. He forgot he was supposed to be hiding, and ran into the pawn shop towards his mother. He had eavesdropped on them through the door of the shop.

"Don't do it!" he said desperately.

Regina looked down at the small figure, surprised, and gave him a hug.

"I have to, Henry. It's the only way to keep you safe and sound."

"B-but..." Henry trailed off.

"Henry. It's to keep everyone in Storybrooke safe." Rumple said, uncomfortable at the mother-son moment that was happening.

He slowly walked to the back of the shop to retrieve the spell. Henry turned back to Regina, extremely desperate.

"I'll move back in with you. I'll do the chores. I'll ignore Emma and Snow and them," he said, distraught.

"As much as I want that, that's not the point Henry. The point is to keep you and everyone else safe. Cora has hurt too many people in my life, especially the people that I love. I don't want you to be the next victim. Stay with the Charmings; they can keep you safe."

Henry was angry at Regina. She didn't need to do this. She didn't need to die. At that moment, Rumple came out of the back room and handed Regina the scroll for the spell. Henry couldn't take it anymore, and ran out of the pawn shop, going back to the diner to warn the Charmings and everyone else about what Regina was going to do.

Once he went into the diner, he screamed an ear-piercing scream. He ran up to Snow in tears.

"You got to stop her. She can't leave me, I need her," Henry said, begging Snow to stop Regina.

"Henry, what are you talking about?"

"Mom - I mean Regina's going to enact a spell to kill Cora, but it will kill her as well."

The Charmings looked at each other and towards Henry.

"Maybe Regina's doing what's best."

"What happened to you? You always wanted her to change and when she finally does, you don't care anymore? Giving her a chance doesn't mean she could change just like that. If no one helped her, it's not a big surprise she turned out like this."

"Henr-"

"No!" he yelled, voice rising. "NO!"

Henry didn't want to hear anymore of Snow's excuses. He ran out of the diner, letting his legs carry him wherever his legs wanted to go. He ended up in front of his previous home, the home he lived in for years with Regina.

* * *

Regina watched Henry run from the shop. He'd never understand, no matter how many I explain it, thought Regina. Even though Henry ran away, she had to go through with the plan. She had to kill Cora.

In order for the spell to work, she needed to focus on specific things. When she was about to close her eyes to practice, the doorbell rang. Regina was slightly irritated, but moved to the door. Thinking it was one of the Charmings to warn her not to do the spell, she opened the door. She saw no one, until she looked down. Henry. Surprised by the little crying figure, she opened the door wider. She led him into the living room, and sat right next to him on the couch. Using her hands to wipe off the tears in her son's eyes, she began talking.

"Henry, I know that it's scary. Everyone is scared at one point of their lives. But I need to do this. I can't stand being scared of my mother after all these years. Remember what I told you? You have to face your fears."

Still crying, Henry gave Regina a tight hug, not wanting to let go.

"But... Mom, I love you."

Regina felt her heart tighten as he said those words.

"I love you too, with all my heart, but as much as I want you here, you can't always be running off. I need to practice magic, so how about I walk you to Snow's place."

She grabbed her jacket with one hand, and took Henry's hand in the other. They walked side by side towards Snow's house.

"Mom, she doesn't care about you! I told her about your plans, and she said that maybe it was for the best."

"Sweetie, she said those things because it's true. The only one that can take down Cora is me. She shouldn't be telling you this but you wanted the truth didn't you?"

They were walking when they bumped into Neal, face red from running such a long distance. He looked back and forth between Regina and Henry.

"You talked to your mom about that spell?"

Henry nodded a bit. Neal focused his attention on Regina.

"I need to talk to you."

Regina knew what the conversation would lead to, so she just shook her head. "Later."

* * *

They finally arrived at Snow's place.

Charming opened the door and saw Henry. He shouted into the house.

"Henry's here!"

Snow and Emma ran down the stairs only to see Regina's hand on top of Henry's shoulder.

"Henry, where were you? We were so worried about you."

Henry looked up to meet Regina's eyes. Regina bent down to his height.

"Don't worry Henry," she said, forcing a smile. "Everything will be alright"

Henry gave her another tight hug, and a kiss on the cheek. "I love you."

Regina watched as Henry ran upstairs to his room in his new home. She turned around and began to walk through the silent streets of the night.


	9. A Charm For Your Beauty

**CHAPTER NINE**

Regina was at home, alone in her room. The doorbell rang, and Regina, sighing, trudged down the steps of the house. She knew who she'd see. She pulled open the door and there he was. Neal, in all his magnificent glory, standing in front of Regina. He took Regina's arm and pulled her towards the couch without a word. He forced her to sit down, and stared daggers at her, not taking a seat.

"You promised that you wouldn't die! You promised!" he said, trying to make sure Regina heard him say 'promise'. "I don't want you to perform it. Why does everyone break the promises they make?"

Regina stood up and put her hand on his chest. She felt his heartbeat; quick. She smiled.

"You know, you're just like your son, always worrying about promises," she said, gazing into his eyes. "You and I both know that there's things that turn out differently than what we'd hope for. I'll try not to break my promise, but for the sake of this town, for the sake of my–no–our son, I will do whatever it takes to keep it."

Deep inside, Neal knew what she said was true. At that, he realized something. He cupped her cheek, and smiled.

"I knew it."

"Knew what?" Regina asked, curious. She tried to ignore the weird feeling she was getting in her stomach.

"The woman I knew so long ago is still there. People say you're completely evil, but that's not true. If it was, you wouldn't be protecting this town, or even protecting Snow for that matter! You just forgot who you were."

Tears were beginning to form in both of their eyes. Neal continued.

"I never said it out loud, but I agree with Daniel. You are the fairest of them all, because even with all the things you lost, you still managed to take the ounce of love you have to love again."

Neal then took away his hand from Regina and began searching through his bag.

"What are you doing?" Regina asked, immediately missing his touch.

"Before you decided to run away with Daniel, he gave me a box, telling me to protect it, because it was supposed to be your birthday present. I didn't give it to you though, since you were supposed to marry the king," Neal said, face red.

Neal opened the box slowly, and Regina gasped. Inside were two beautiful charms, one with a horseshoe, one with an apple tree.

"It's so beautiful," Regina said in awe. "Why are there two though?"

"Well," Neal said sheepishly. "I kind of put my own charm inside the box after Daniel handed it to me."

He gestured to the charm with the apple tree on it. "Mine's a bracelet. Daniel's one a necklace."

Regina took the charms out of the box. She took Neal's charm and put it on her wrist, admiring the handiwork of the bracelet. She then took Daniel's necklace and put it around her neck, a foolish grin now on her face.

"These are wonderful. Thank you so much," Regina said softly.

An idea suddenly popped into her mind. She could use the charms as a focus point for practicing for the spell. She quickly told Neal her idea and warned him to leave, saying it'll be dangerous. Neal, of course, refused.

"I'm going to stay," he says stubbornly. "I don't want you to get hurt. What if something happens? I'll feel guilty."

After a little more bickering, Regina finally caved.

"That's the bad part about being Henry's twin," she said under her breath.

She closed her eyes and began to focus on the day Neal planted the apple tree with her. The bracelet began to shake. Neal then realized that Regina was focusing on the bracelet, not the necklace. It made him feel a twinge of guilt inside, but there was also a fluttering feeling of joy. After a while Regina remembered the day Neal left her, the day everything fell apart. Neal began to notice her shaking. Tears were streaming down her face. He was starting to get worried.

"Regina?"

She opened her eyes and remembered she was at home in Storybrooke with Neal. Neal felt sorry for her. In front of him stood a woman who never wanted to touch magic, yet it consumed her instead. Regina shook with fear. He opened up his arms, and allowed Regina to hug him. There were tears in her eyes, but they didn't fall.

"I told you I needed practice."

"What were you thinking about?" Neal asked, putting his hand on top of Regina's head in a comforting motion.

"About the day we met," she said softly. "And the day you left."

"That makes you sad?" Neal murmured.

"Well the spell's quite complicated."

He knew Regina didn't want to explain further, and he didn't want to push.

"I don't think we got to finish our talk under the apple tree," Neal said suddenly. "Care to join me on a picnic?"

Even though Regina needed to practice, it has been a while since she had a picnic. "Lead the way."

* * *

Neal and Regina sat under the apple tree, munching their food in a comfortable silence. Neal, of course, had another motive for bringing Regina here again.

"You know, I never told you this, since Daniel was there and all, but you are a very unique person."

Regina looked at him. "Bringing me under an apple tree, complimenting me out of the blue. Is there an ulterior motive under all of this?"

Neal's cheeks were beginning to redden, and he started to stutter. "I–I didn't–"

Regina smirked, and without a warning, kissed Neal on the lips. For a moment Neal did nothing, but finally realized what was happening. He deepened the kiss, hand caressing her face. The kiss was long and passionate, but soon pulled away to catch her breath. Regina gazed into his eyes and smiled.

"I always wanted to know how that felt."

Neal grinned. "I loved it."

•••

A/N: How did you guys feel about this chapter? Did you guys like the kiss scene? I don't think Café and I are that good at writing those kind of things, so forgive me if it was a little too fast.

-Skye

P.S. We would personally like to thank Pace for reviewing every chapter.


	10. The Spell to Surrender

A/N: We'd like to thank the reviewers, especially Pace1818, 95, and Metope for the lovely reviews. You don't know how grateful we are for such reviews, especially for our first fanfic.

P.S. The next few chapters will be posted later than usual since Skye has left for a trip, so it will be later at night than usual.

I hope you like this chapter.

-Cafe

* * *

Regina pushed the thought of her kissing Neal out of her head. She had to kill Cora. She reached into the pocket of her leather jacket and put the Queen of Hearts playing card on the ground. Regina was standing in the middle of the road, prepared to confront Cora for the last time. She focused on the card, willing her mother to come to her.

A group of people were beginning to gather around Regina, wondering what she was doing. In the crowd were the Charmings. Snow stared at Regina. Is she doing what I think she's doing? Snow asked herself, panicking. Before she could yell at Regina to stop, Cora appeared in front of Regina in a puff of purple smoke. For a moment, everything was silent. Cora then broke the silence by speaking.

"I never thought you had it in you," Cora said, a small smirk on her face.

Regina stared at the floor blankly, emotionless. She began to lift her head up slowly, almost in a robotic motion.

"Before one of us gets hurt, I want to ask you a question. Did you really want to start over with me?" Regina asked, her voice a monotone.

"With all my heart," Cora replied, smiling.

Regina looked into Cora's eyes. "It's such a pity you don't have one."

Cora's smile faded and she soon felt anger beginning to bubble up inside her. She looked around the crowd of people who'd gathered.

"Where's the filthy stable boy?" she spat, hate in her voice.

Regina flinched, but managed not to snap.

"He's gone," she replied, struggling to keep her voice even. "Daniel's dead and his soul is gone. I have nobody, I am broken, just like how you always wanted me to be."

Cora's eyes burned with anger while she glowered at Regina. Before she could say anything, Regina continued talking.

"I was so naive, thinking you'd actually love me again. Of course, I let my emotions cloud my judgment. I wanted Henry so badly I stopped thinking. You said to me that 'love was weakness' all my life, but I'm tired of that phrase now. I want to have a weakness. I had to look out for all kinds of danger ever since I was young and I have never let my guard down. I'm sick of this; I want someone to have my back, I want someone will be there for me, someone that could love me.

Cora didn't try stopping Regina from talking; she knew she'd be dead sooner or later. Tears were beginning to form in Regina's eyes.

"Mother, maybe you were right. Maybe I shouldn't have adopted him in the first place. You might think that I'm a bad mother since I didn't hurt my child until he gave up and did everything I said, but when Henry said that he never wanted to be me, it made me realize the same exact thing I said to you. I realized that I never wanted any of this. I wanted freedom and love. You took that away from me, and you are not going to take it from me again!"

Regina casted a spell around her and her mother so she was sure that everyone outside the transparent dome was safe. No one would be able to penetrate it. Snow and Henry were beginning to worry, but no one was more worried than Neal. He only had one problem: he had her back, he loved her.

"You can't kill me," Cora said with a smirk.

"I know I can't kill you, but you and I both know the spell that will kill anyone under it."

Cora thought about it, and realized which spell her daughter was about to use. She panicked, but didn't show it on her face or in her voice. "You can't enact that spell. It'll be useless. We would both die, and your precious son would then have no one."

"Mother, I have no one to love because of you. Plus, no one would ever love me. I'm useless in the world anyway. If I'm going to die, why shouldn't I take you with me?"

Cora was shocked. Regina ignored the frantic look on Cora's face and closed her eyes, beginning the spell. Cora was putting the pieces together, and was getting extremely desperate.

"No! I'm your mother. We can start over, we can have a new life."

"I love you, but I don't want that anymore," Regina said, annoyed that Cora destroyed her concentration. Cora had made Regina open her eyes.

She closed her eyes once again and an artificial dome began to form. Neal ran over to stop Regina, only to get bounced back by the force.

"Regina!" Neal screamed. "You can't do this to me!"

Neal pounded on the artificial dome until his hands hurt, and ended up sliding to the ground, a helpless look in his eyes. Regina tried her best to take no notice of his pleas, and kneeled on the floor, eyes still closed. After reciting the spell, she whispered,

"I surrender, and this is my story."

A wave of magic went across Storybrooke. Everyone recognized this type of magic clearly; it wasn't dark magic–it was love.

The atmosphere around her began to change, and voices were heard.

_Regina rode on a horse, trying desperately to escape the evil clutches of her mother. Her escape failed, however, after getting pulled off the horse by thick, green vines. "I want to be free."_

_King Leopold proposed to her, hope filling his eyes. "I don't want to marry the King."_

"_Regina, I am so sorry! Whatever I did, I am truly sorry," Snow cried behind the bars._

_Snow saw Regina and Daniel kiss. Shocked, she ran as fast as her legs could carry her, back to the palace. "Love, true love is magic. It's the most powerful magic of all. It creates happiness."_

The images of Regina and Daniel kissing, and sneaking around were shown.

"Promise me you won't tell my mother."

"I promise"

"_She ripped his heart out because of you, because you couldn't listen to me!" Regina screamed at Snow, tears falling from her eyes._

_Regina saw Daniel's heart taken out of him. She ran towards him, and fell to her knees, giving him true love's kiss. Unfortunately, true love's kiss wasn't able to reach him in time, and he died in Regina's arms as she sobbed, heartbroken._

Mary-Magaret watched Regina's life unravel before her eyes. Her eyes were filled with tears as she hugged David. Regina had to focus. She couldn't give up now, she had to kill Cora. Tears fell down her face as the scenes of her life continued to play.

_King Leopold held Snow's hand on the stage, smiling at her with love-filled eyes. "No one seems to notice my absence."_

_Regina sat in the back of the room, sorrow in her eyes. "Neither of us can leave the palace, and neither of us truly belongs."_

"_Immobilize it," commands Rumple. Regina obeyed, freezing the horse. _"_Now, take it's heart." Regina looked at Rumple with a shocked expression. _"_I can't do it. It's innocent."_

_Regina hugged Snow as they both grieved for King Leopold's death._

"_Nothing is innocent," Rumple replies._

Everyone outside the dome was beginning to understand the pain and the suffering the Evil Queen had gone through. Everytime they saw a different scene, they flinched, knowing that it really happened.

_Regina adopted Henry. "I just want to be happy," Regina says._

_Henry was older now. "Do you think I'm capable of such evil doings?" Regina asks. _"_Of course, you're the evil queen," Henry says, pulling away from her._

"_Your life must be filled with incredible loneliness if your only joy is destroying everyone else's happiness," Snow says._

_Regina sat on Henry's bed, hugging his pillow while crying._

"_...and the man in the stables, you love him?" Snow asks. _"_With all my heart." was the reply._

_The reincarnated version of Daniel stood looking at Regina in the stables. _"_Don't leave me. I am lost without you."_

_Regina was now the Evil Queen, sitting on her throne._

"_Then love again."_

_Neal and Regina kissed under the apple tree._

"_It's been awhile since I had a shoulder to cry on, Bae."_

_The Evil Queen was abandoned, alone in the kingdom._

"_No matter what you think, no matter what anybody tells you, I do love you."_

_Tears slid down Regina's cheek as she watched Emma tell Henry that she killed Archie._

"_I don't know how to love very well. I was incapable of it for a very long time, but I know, I remember that if you hold on to someone too hard, it doesn't make them love you."_

_Regina pushed her mother through the looking glass, still wearing her wedding dress._

_Cora accepted the proposal from King Leopold. "I want you to be here because you want to be here. Not because I forced you...and not because of magic."_

_Cora restrained Regina with magic._

_Cora and Regina were talking in the car.____"Let me into your heart."_

_Cora changed Regina's clothes from a blue riding coat into a lovely blue dress. "I love you, I've always showed it in the wrong ways."_

"_...and I never should have made you marry the king."_

_Regina sat under the apple tree with tears in her eyes, talking to the genie._

The atmosphere changed and it seemed like a storm was above them. A giant wave of magic washed over everyone. The magic took something along with it and went towards Regina. It struck her hard, as more and more memories poured into her. The dome appeared again, but this time, instead of her story, it was everyone else's.

It had scenes of Charming's mother dying; a young version of Snow crying against her dying mother; Emma going to jail, finding out she was pregnant; Gepetto losing his son; Pinocchio slowly turning to wood; Ruby finding out her boyfriend is dead; Frankenstein knowing his father prefered his brother; Rumplestiltskin losing his wife to Captain Hook, then losing his son from a broken deal; Captain Hook losing Milah; Grumpy losing his love; Jiminy Cricket finding out the two people who turned to dolls; Cora bowing down to Queen Eva; Granny watching the wolves take her family; Ruby, again, killing her mother and brother; Regina killing his father; Regina killing Daniel once more; Regina losing Henry; Regina running over to Daniel's crumbling body and giving him his final kiss.

A sudden flash of lightning caused everyone to collapse on the floor.

* * *

A/N: I don't usually write the A/N since Skye usually is the one to. This chapter might be confusing to some, so just to make clear. When the spell is enacted, it creates an artificial kind of atmosphere around her, showing scenes of her life, explaining her story. We used the names Mary-margaret and David to show you that these are the people watching the spell being enacted. Also, the dialogue does not follow the scenes in the memories I hope I am not confusing you, I am really bad at explaining things, that's why I leave it to Skye.


	11. The Lost of a Victory

A/N: Skye is still out on her trip. So for this chapter, I am the one who edited most of it. Thank you again for the lovely reviews and follows.

I hope you guys like this chapter.

- Cafe

P.S. You might notice the editing style changing throughout the story.

* * *

The flash of lightning disappeared, leaving a huge cloud of smoke in its wake. Everyone coughed, their throats dry and voice hoarse as they tried to relocate their loved ones by calling out their names. They struggled to see what happened to Regina and Cora, squinting their eyes through the thick, grey fog.

"Regina, where are you?" Neal croaked, pushing himself off the ground. "Please tell me you're alive..."

He walked deeper into the smoke, searching for Regina's body, anything to signify the fact that she was still there.

The smoke eventually died down, and everyone stared in shock at the scene that laid before them. What was left of Cora was only a pile of ashes, but Regina was still there. Blood was gushing out of her as she laid on the floor, unconscious. Neal's eyes widened, and he ran towards her, cradling Regina in his arms. He didn't care if the blood was dirtying his clothes. What mattered more at the moment was that Regina lived.

"Someone call the ambulance!" Neal shouted, coughing after remembering the smoke still in his lungs.

Neal looked at Regina, eyebrows creased in worry. She was bleeding from a wound near her stomach, breath shallow. Though she was going through a near-death experience, it was the first time Neal saw Regina this peaceful. He started sobbing, guilty since he couldn't do anything to help.

"Come on, Regina," Neal whispered. "You can't do this to me. You promised you wouldn't die. I have a lot of things I want to talk to you about, okay?"

Everyone who suffered from the strike of lightning began to surround Neal and Regina, sorrow on their faces. Henry was about to run towards Regina when he saw Neal holding her. He hesitated for a moment.

"I love you, Regina Mills. Please, wake up. Tell me this is just a dream," he choked.

Neal didn't care if everyone heard him. He was scared he said the phrase a little too late. Henry couldn't stand it anymore, and ran to Regina. He kneeled beside her, and cried.

"Mom, please don't die. I'll do whatever you want, just don't leave me."

The ambulance came after a few minutes, and placed Regina on a gurney. Neal watched as she was moved into the ambulance, doors shutting in front of his face. The ambulance drove away; Neal's eyes were still locked on it, Regina's wound still fresh in his mind. He turned around, and listened in on the conversations everyone was talking about. They all felt disoriented, and all felt a new feeling. The strange thing was that the feeling felt good, but no one had ever felt it before, so everyone was worried. Charming and Emma scurried through the crowd to find Gold. He was standing apart from the crowd with Belle.

"Gold, what's going on?"

He tapped the ground loudly with his cane, drawing the attention of some people. Once everyone's eyes were on him, he began to talk.

"I'm only going to explain this once. This warm feeling everyone seems to be having is the feeling of content. Because this spell takes everyone's pain and grief and pours it into one person, it's very dangerous and deadly. The source of magic comes from your emotions, so if this spell floods one person with sets of emotions, it would make them powerful. However, it could also make them emotionally unstable."

The crowd of people slowly began to put the pieces together and understood what Gold was saying, but they still didn't understand one thing. Coming out of the trance, Charming spoke.

"If it is as deadly as you said, why didn't Regina end up like Cora, turned into ashes?"

"That was what surprised me too. If an average person like you would perform that spell, you would die almost immediately. However I assume it didn't kill Regina either because of two things. One, because of her years of pain and anger, it must have helped her develop a larger threshold for pain. Secondly, I suspect that because her most pained memory is also the ones she loved the most, it protected her."

* * *

Henry followed Neal into the waiting room of the hospital. They were at the waiting room for hours and hours staring at the sign above the operation room that lit up. Henry sat down, recalling what his dad said while holding his mom in his arms.

After a while, Henry managed to say "Do you really love her?"

Neal watched Henry's eyes flicker with hope.

"I love her with all my heart."

Neal replied with a small smile.

A few more hours past, and Neal was pacing the floor. The light finally turned off and Dr. Whale slowly came out.

"Is she alright? Is she alive?" Neal asked, hope in his tone.

"She is alive, but-" he looked down at Henry's worried eyes.

"... but we had some complications during the surgery. She is now in a coma."

Neal's body slowly slumped to the ground, thoughts flooding into his head. Charming, Snow and Emma came through the doors. Seeing Neal, they began to worry, fear beginning to show.

"What is going on? How is she?"

When Neal didn't reply, Henry slowly spoke up.

"Mom's in a coma."

Snow turned to Dr. Whale, trying to have more confidence in her tone.

"She is going to wake up right?"

Dr. Whale, with an apologetic expression.

"There is always hope."

Neal had enough, he stood up and walked into Regina's room, took a chair, and sat right next to her. She looked so calm and peaceful, it was then when tears began to form in his eyes. Everyone else waited outside, giving him some time alone with Regina. Even though they weren't in the room, they could still hear him through the door.

Neal used both his hands to hold hers.

"You can't leave me like this okay? You have to wake up. I promise you I will be there for you, so please wake up. I love you."

The only sound left was the beeping noise from the monitors. Henry walked into the room and sat on the bed, also noticing how much calmer her mom looked.

"Mom wake up. I'm safe now, you can wake up."

Everyone watched as the two of them cried by Regina. They all felt heartbroken as more cries were heard.

In the next few days, Neal sat by Regina waiting for something to change. Snow and Charming would come often, bringing her flowers. Emma would bring Henry to visit after school. Everybody came at least once, thanking Regina for the peace she brought into their lives.

A few more days past and nothing had changed. Snow and Charming finally made a reluctant Neal to get some rest. They promised that they would watch Regina for any signs of movement. Henry laid right next to his Mom hoping she would wrap her arms around him, just like how they used to.

That night the Charmings were on watch, but by midnight they began to drift off.

Regina's fingers began to flinch.


	12. What Defines Love?

A/N: Thank you guys again for the lovely reviews. Just to make clear, true love's kiss wouldn't work because being in a coma is different than being under a curse or a spell.

I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, it is quite emotional.

- Cafe

Regina felt tired and groggy, but managed to open her eyes. She blinked for a while, vision blurry. Once her eyes seemed to focus, she saw Charming and Snow sitting at the chairs near the door, guarding it. It didn't look like they were doing quite a good job at it, though. Both were sleeping, slumped figures on their chairs. Regina didn't seem to notice, though; her mind was still a little cloudy as she observed the room. She then proceeded to look at the cheap 'bed' she was on, and saw Henry sleeping with his head on the bed holding her arm. She sat up as carefully as possible, not wanting to wake Henry up. She also didn't want to hurt anything in her body, if there was anything that was hurt. Unfortunately, sitting up caused a sharp pain course through her body, most of it originating from the wound that pierced through her stomach. Regina winced, and muttered a small 'ow'. Snow jolted awake, and saw Regina's face contorted in pain.

"Regina?" Snow said timidly. "You're alive!"

Regina cringed slightly when Snow's voice rose; she had a headache and Snow only made it worse. Regina closed her eyes, trying to remember what happened after she performed the spell. A scene from the spell made her eyelids shoot open. She furrowed her eyebrows, but quickly dismissed the after-effects, she thought. It'll go away soon. One question was still on her mind.

"What happened to my m–I mean, Cora?" Regina asked. "Is everyone okay?"

Snow saw the panic in Regina's eyes and squeezed her arm lightly.

"Everyone's fine, and Cora's gone," Snow said with a small smile.

Charming finally woke and yawned. He saw who his wife was talking to, and got up from his chair, stumbling around the room.

"Honey, what are you doing?" Snow asked, obviously confused at Charming's clumsy movements.

Instead of replying, he frowned. "Where is it," he muttered to himself, patting his pockets and looking around the room once more.

"What are you doing?" Snow tried asking again.

"I'm trying to find my phone," he said distractedly. "Neal's gonna kill me if I don't call him saying Regina's awake."

Regina stared at Charming, confused. He felt someone staring at him and glanced towards Regina and Snow, realizing Regina's confused expression.

"He was really worried about you," Charming said, remembering his sudden confession and frantic looks.

Regina nodded in mute understanding. So he's worried about me, she thought, a little happy. Regina looked down at the sleeping figure once again, stroking his head absentmindedly.

"I think you should wake him up," Snow said, interrupting Regina's thoughts. "He's been a little...robotic lately."

"What do you mean?" Regina asked, puzzled.

"Ever since he saw you sacrifice yourself in front of him, he's been rather...let's just say stoic, and it's beginning to creep everyone out," Snow said hesitantly.

Regina raised an eyebrow, doubtful, but shook Henry awake lightly with her free arm. "It's time to wake up, sweetie."

Henry muttered incomprehensible words for a moment and tightened his grip around one of Regina's arm. He blinked and squinted as the light hit his eyes. After getting used to the light, he looked up to see his mother's gentle smile he had missed so much over the past week.

"Mom?" he whispered, eyes brightening. "Mom! You-you're alive!"

Regina laughed, delighted, as Henry engulfed her in a heartwarming hug. She ignored the pain that she felt when Henry wrapped her arms around her, though all the talking and the movements were taking a huge effect on her. Henry's emotions that he had hid so well for the past week began to catch up on him. Tears were pouring down his face in a matter of seconds, and the Charmings looked at him, a little relieved at the fact that he was showing his emotions again.

"I'm so sorry," Henry said after he had calmed down a bit, stopping every few seconds because of the hiccups. "I shouldn't have pushed you away. I love you and I don't want you to ever leave. I shouldn't have read the book. I shouldn't ha-"

"It's alright, Henry," Regina said, hushing him. "None of this is your fault."

Snow laughed lightly, patting Henry on the head. Everyone jumped slightly when Neal burst through the doors, yelling, "Regina, where is she?"

Regina cringed, head pounding. Henry, startled, looked over at his dad, and quickly backed away before Neal could trample him. Neal pulled Regina into a tight hug.

"That hurts," Regina said, though she had a smile on her face. For emphasis, she added, "A lot."

Neal uttered a small apology. His happy mood suddenly changed to a darker, more sinister one. "You broke your promise, you know."

Regina was taken aback by his sudden change of mood, but the smile still stayed on her face. Snow was getting slightly uncomfortable at Regina and Neal's close relationship, and was about to go out the door casually when Emma came in. Snow groaned inwardly. Now her chances of exiting the room casually disappeared; if she left, it'll look like she was desperate to go to the bathroom. Snow sat on her original seat: the one near the door, and awkwardly fidgited with her hands.

"Maybe we coud talk about this somewhere else, alone," Regina said, though she remembered she was in a hospital bed.

Neal hesitated; it didn't hit him that Regina was stuck in a hospital bed. The word 'alone' seemed very appealing at the moment, but Neal pushed the thought away. "No, you're not going to escape this one. You can't just kiss me one day and try commit suicide the very next day."

Everyone in the room froze, including Regina. Only Neal didn't realize what he said. So they kissed before, Snow mused, late to catch on. Wait WHAT?There was a sudden, awkward tension in the air that Neal didn't understand. Regina sighed, fighting a mental battle between the two sides of her 's the only way to shut him up, Regina convinced herself. She grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him towards her, lips connecting forcefully. The awkwardness in the room seemed to rise by a couple of tons.

Neither Regina or Neal noticed. Regina felt all of her pain vanish, and she closed her eyes slowly, relishing the touch of his lips softly against hers. Though it was soft, it was filled with passion and love. Once Regina's eyes were fully closed, a scene from her past replayed itself for her, and Regina pulled away sharply, inhaling deeply. Partially because Neal and Regina had be kissing for so long, partially because the scene's vividness shocked her. Neal looked disappointed.

Just then, a nurse came in and announced, "Mr. Cassidy, your fiancé has come to see you."

Everyone apart from the nurse froze for the second time that day. Neal's face turned a bright shade of red. "Uh...I-I can exp-"

"You could've told me you had a fiancé," Regina interrupted, emotions unrecognizable.

"I should have," Neal agreed guiltily. "I'm sorry."

He waited expectantly for a scolding, a punishment, anything that was Regina-like. Nothing happened. "You're not mad?" he asked.

Before Regina could reply, Neal's fiancé came into the room. "Hi," she said, smiling.

She walked over to Neal and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. Regina wasn't fazed by the kiss exchanged between them at all, but everyone knew she was mad at both Neal and his fiancé inside; you could see it all in her eyes.

"This is going to be a disaster," Charming muttered to Snow. Snow could only nod solemnly in reply.

"Everyone, this is my fiancé, Tamara," Neal introduced. "This is Regina, my childhood sw-friend."

Neal prayed his fiancé didn't notice him about to say 'sweetheart'.

"Nice to meet you," Tamara said with a smile and a small wave.

Regina smiled back, though it was obviously fake. Because of the awkward silence that settled over the room, Neal began to introduce everyone else. "This is Mary-Margaret, David, Emma, and Henry."

Tamara, again, waved. The Charmings either smiled or waved back; Henry did both. Not knowing what to do after, she started rummaging through her purse. Once she found what she was looking for, she handed an envelope to Regina. "Since you're his friend," she said. "You should come attend the wedding."

Neal suddenly dragged Tamara out of the room. "We need to talk."

Inside, Regina stared at the envelope, dumbfounded. All the medicine and the drugs still had a slight effect on her.

"I don't like weddings that much," she said bluntly, slightly zoned-out.

The Charmings observed her curiously; it was strange seeing Regina like this. Regina suddenly broke out of her trance and placed the envelope carefully on the small table beside her.

"We'll leave you alone for a moment, if it's what you want," Snow suggested. It was all she could say after seeing Regina's dumbfounded expression.

"Yeah..." Regina replied. "That'll be nice."

The Charmings left for some midnight snacks, and arrived at Granny's Diner, which was still open due to the fact that no one in Storybrooke could sleep–especially after what Regina had done. Gold was still there, staring down at his cup of coffee like a statue, not moving. The Charmings took a booth across from Gold's.

"Regina woke up," Snow said quietly, careful as to not scare Gold.

Gold seemed to come back to reality; whatever he was thinking about disappeared for the time being. "She woke up? Is she alright?"

Emma replied, suspicious. "Yes, she's alright. Why're you suddenly concerned?"

"Because," Gold said, glancing at each of their faces. "Now I owe her."

"What do you mean by you 'owe her'?" Charming questioned.

"Through the past years, I've been looking all over the place for someone to perform that spell to help take away my pain. It may sound selfish, and it is; I was desperate. Regina performed the spell, and survived doing it. I'm actually quite surprised that she's fine. If I had that many emotions poured into me all at once, I'd probably kill myself. Though I still don't truly like her, I respect her now."

The Charmings looked at Rumple in surprise. "Didn't she use the emotions to kill Cora?" asked Charming.

"That spell doesn't pour emotions into one person, they flood memories that cause those emotions. Yes, she did use the emotions to kill Cora, but the memories are still there."

Snow and Charming was lost inside their minds for a moment, but then came back to a conclusion.

Snow spoke first. "So she has the knowledge of everybody's most painful experiences stored inside her?"

"Good, you finally caught up." Gold said with the smallest amount of joy.

Charmin spoke next. "What's going to happen to her?"

Gold looked back down at his cup of coffee. "Every time she closes her eyes, flashbacks of the past will appear in her mind."

They were shocked at the words that came out of his mouth. Snow and Charming looked at each other, knowing what they had to do next. They told Emma and Henry to stand up, and together they walked back to the hospital.

Back in the hospital, Neal and Tamara sat in the waiting room sofa.

Tamara, I …" he clenched his jaws and looked up until their eyes met. "I can't marry you."

Tamara was shocked to hear the words coming from him. They planned the wedding for months. First, out of the blue, he tells her he is going to visit a place called Storybrooke, next he doesn't want to marry her?

Neal suddenly felt a flash of pain come across his face.

"I deserve that."

"Is it because of her?" she was pointing into Regina's room

"Partly. He looked at her in the eyes again. "Let me explain. I... I can't marry you because what we have, it isn't love."

"What?" Tamara asked in confusion.

"Regina made me realize, made me remember what love is, what defines true love, and I want that. What we have, me and you, is something special, but it isn't true love."

Tamara looked at him.

"We can make it work." she pleaded.

Tears were pouring out of their eyes. Neal held her hands. "We can make it work, but it won't be real. You deserve someone better. Trust me, when you meet the person you truly love, you will be glad we didn't get together."

Tamara looked down at the floor. She wiped away her tears. "Is this really what you want? because I want you to be happy. If finding love is what you truly want, I won't stop you."

"It is what I want, thank you so much." He gave her a hug. "I hope you find your love."

"Then I hope you find what you want, true love." She gave him a kiss and stood up to leave the room.

Neal watched as she left the room. "I already did."


	13. Truth Be Told

**CHAPTER 13**

* * *

After the Charmings left, Regina allowed her thoughts to wander freely. It kept drifting back to Neal and the invitation to his and his fiancé's wedding. Her chances of getting together with Neal were gone. Regina tried her best not to cry, and hastily wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. Just as she wiped her tears away, Neal appeared back at the door, watching her inquisitively.

"Congratulations for getting married, by the way," Regina said with as much happiness she could muster.

Neal cocked his head to the side with his eyebrows furrowed.

"I'm sorry, I'm just a mess," she said quickly, avoiding eye contact.

He walked over to Regina's bed and sat down next to her. He cupped her cheek, wiping away the last of her tears.

"You look beautiful," Neal said truthfully, gazing into her eyes with an amused look in his eyes

She chuckled, still avoiding his gaze. He frowned. "Hey," Neal said softly, looking at Regina with concern.

She took a quick glance at Neal. He had enough. He leaned towards Regina softly, capturing his lips with hers. It was like Neal had a special kind of power within him that made her forget everything she was thinking about. Regina kissed Neal back, at first reluctantly, but then more boldly. She closed her eyes when a scene jolted through her, making her gasp in pain. Neal and Tamara are getting married, I can't do this, she thought. Regina put her hand on Neal's chest and suddenly pulled away.

"What are you doing?" she asked, breathless.

Neal smiled with a twinkle in his eyes. "The wedding is off."

"What? Please tell me you didn't. I don't want you to call it off because of me."

Neal held her hands. "Except I did. I called it off for you. You made me understand what love is; you even helped me understand what true love is. I want that. I don't want her; I want you."

Regina pulled away. "You what?"

"I love you, and I am not letting you go."

The Charmings were just outside the door when he said that. "We should give them some privacy," Snow said.

The Charmings agreed. Henry and Emma went to the vending machines to get some drinks. He couldn't stand the awkward silence so he asked, "Are you okay?"

Emma looked down, surprised by the sudden questions. "About what, kid?"

"Are you okay with Dad liking Regina?"

Emma knew she had to explain it sooner or later, so she told him to sit down on a chair.

"I'm fine with Neal being with Regina. Even though it is so awkward, I'm happy for them. What Neal and I had happened a long time ago. He's a part of the past and I don't want to go back on it."

Henry beamed. It was good that she was fine with it since it meant she was happy that Regina and Neal were together. Snow then came by and told Henry and Emma that Neal finished their 'conversation' with Regina and that they could now talk to her.

They stepped inside the room, watching Neal scoot away from Regina. They all sat in the chairs nearby except for Henry who crawled right next to her. Snow didn't want to ask her if she had any flashes of old memories directly, so they only conversed for a while about nothing particular.

After talking for a few minutes, Snow realized that Regina didn't push her away. She didn't even try to kill her or threaten her; she actually enjoyed having conversations with her. It felt like she had her mother again. Snow was happy, but didn't want to jinx it by talking about it.

Everyone ended up sleeping in the hospital room. Snow, Charming, Emma, and Neal slept on the chairs, while Henry slept on the bed with Regina.

Regina watched as her mother took Daniel's heart out. "NO!" she screamed. She ran up to Daniel and kissed him, desperately trying to save him. "Why have you done this?" Cora watched as the dust flew freely towards the floor. "Because this is your happy ending."

Regina woke up almost screaming. Even though she jerked up, she managed not to wake the others. It was still dark outside. She slowly moved towards the bathroom to wash her face, placing Henry's head down softly in order not to wake him. She was shaking and sweaty, heart thumping wildly in her chest. What was that? Why am I thinking of Daniel?

As the sun rose, the others began to wake. They all went to the diner for breakfast, with the exception of Regina since she was still bedridden. Emma talked to Neal.

"Are you going to leave?"

Neal raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"Are you going to ditch our son, and, not to mention, Regina?"

"No!" Neal exclaimed, taken aback.

"So what are you going to do?"

"I might move here. I think the spell took away some problems between my father and I, so I think I can talk to him. I'm going to move here first before talking to my father, though.

Emma nodded. "Good. When?"

"I might tell Regina that I'm leaving for a couple of days for New York to get some of my stuff."

Emma nodded again. "D'ya want me to help you? I could help you pack. I know Henry loves you."

Henry overheard their conversation and cut in.

"Oh, can I come too? Please?" Henry's eyes shone.

Has he ever actually been out of Storybrooke for a good amount of time? Emma thought. "Alright," she said. "I guess I'll see you two tomorrow?"

"Yeah."

Neal walked back to the hospital greeting Regina. "Hey, um...I might need to go back to New York to bring some of my stuff here."

Regina was concerned. "Are you going alone?"

Neal knew she was sensitive to the subject, so he told the truth. "No, Emma and Henry are going to help me pack too. We're going to come back in a couple of days."

Regina was worried if something else was going to happen, but she didn't want to show it. "Alright, just make sure you come back safely."

"Of course, I love you." He gave her a kiss.

"I am going to book the tickets and get everything ready okay?"

"Yeah, I'll see you in a few days."

For the next few days, Regina wasn't able to sleep. Everytime she closed her eyes flashes of painful memories from everyone in Storybrooke had to appear. It was beginning to torture her; she started to refusing to eat, claiming she had no appetite. Neal, Emma, and Henry going to New York didn't make anything better. They were a family. What if they didn't come back?. She was slowly becoming paranoid with all the memories and thoughts. She knew what she wanted to do, but pushed it aside for the time being.

When Neal, Emma, and Henry came back, they booked a room at Granny's to leave their luggage there temporarily. Afterwards, they went to Granny's diner for food. Everyone was at the diner celebrating Neal's stay, but when he said he was going to go visit Regina, he received a call from the hospital. After hanging up, he dropped the phone, and stood motionless. Everyone was wondering what happened.

"Regina is gone," he said with fear in his voice.

Everybody began chattering.

"What do you mean she is gone?"

"I mean she's not in the hospital!" he yelled, almost breaking down in tears.

Gold saw the panic in his son's eyes and helped think where Regina could be. After a while, he got it, he knew where she could be.

* * *

Regina stood by the town line. She stared at it intensely; she swore she could burn it if it were possible. All the memories and all the pain would've be forgotten if she crossed the line. The flashes that were torturing her for days would be gone. She knew what the price was for crossing the line. She could also forget about Neal and Henry. Was it worth the price? Forgetting about everything, including Daniel, her mother, her father, and Snow White. Was it worth forgetting? All the pain would've been gone, there would've been no more suffering. But was it worth it?

She closed her eyes and took a step forward.

•••


	14. The Unnoticed Cry

A/N: We'd like to thank anonymous and EvilRegal, and we'd like to tell all our fellow viewers that there'll probably only be a few chapters left. Sorry it's shorter than usual!

-Skye

* * *

**CHAPTER 14**

Gold suggested the fact that Regina was probably at the border line. Everybody froze for a moment, knowing the only reason she'd go there. The next few seconds were filled with chaos.

"Shut up! Everyone!" Emma yelled. Once everyone quieted down, she quietly asked Ruby to sniff out her scent, to see if she was actually there. After a few minutes, Ruby came back and told everyone she saw Regina walking over there. Everyone drove quickly to the border.

When Regina was about to step across the line, someone pulled her by the arm, spun her around, and forced her into a hug. She let out a small yelp before realizing who was hugging her. She sighed. "Neal, you're here." She looked over his shoulder. "With Henry."

He squeezed her tightly and she felt tears on her shoulder. "Don't...please don't leave me," he whispered.

Regina managed to force a small laugh. "It's funny how that was what I wanted to say when you left...with your family."

He reluctantly pulled away and held her shoulders. He looked into her eyes, serious. "I love you, I was always going to come back. I told you, I was just packing my-"

Regina avoided his gaze, but whispered into his ear. "There are many others who promised the same thing, but..." she trailed off.

He tilted her chin up. "Was that why you wanted to cross? I love you so much, and you are never going to lose me."

She tried to look away again. Neal knew something was wrong. "What's bothering you?"

The Charmings and Gold were still standing by the cars. Snow was the first to realize what Regina was trying to hide. Eyes widening, she slowly said, "The side effects."

Neal looked at Snow, and back to Regina. "What effects? What is she talking about?"

Regina closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. How does he not understand? Regina thought angrily. She clenched her fists. "The spell doesn't have any side effects, but..." she sighed again. There was no point getting mad at Neal. "The memories that created the emotions I used to kill my mo- Cora, are still inside me."

Neal was slightly confused, understanding little of what Regina said. "What are you trying to say?"

Regina took a deep breath and said, "Everytime I close my eyes, I feel like I'm reliving each and every memory in my mind, and I can't stand it."

Snows eyebrows furrowed. "Wait, you knew it was going to happen?"

Regina replied with a wry smile. "I thought I was going to die, but when I woke, I put the pieces together, and here I am, standing here."

Neal looked at Regina, pleading. "We can figure something out, you don't have to forget."

Regina was crying.

"You don't understand," she said, pointing at Charming. "Imagine living through the death of your mother in your arms," she then pointed at Red. "The day you found out that you killed your true love." she pointed at the respective person and their painful memory that came along with it. "The day you got pulled away from you father. The moment when you found out your wife and everybody found you to be a coward." She looked at Neal with tears in her eyes. "To relive the moment when your own son hates you. That your own son ran away to his biological mother because he couldn't stand you. To watch your own mother crush your true love's heart and watching him dying over and over again. Neal, I can't live like this. It's making me crazy. When I used this spell, I thought I was going to die. So all these memories will die too." Her whole body began to tremble.

"No, we can fix this. I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have left you. Please! Love can conquer any spell or curse, it will work." Neal was stuttering, trying to think of something he could do to help. Neal was frantic, and everybody could see that. He held Regina's arms tightly.

"Neal, I'm not under any spell. This is me, and I don't want to suffer living through everything again. You don't understand. I'm sorry." she spoke quietly.

She raised her hand and summoned what's left of her magic to create a barrier between them.

Everybody's eyes were wide open. "No." they all gasped.

Neal was in tears. "What are you doing! No!" He used his fists to hit the barrier as hard as he could, trying to reach out to her. Henry, too, ran next to Neal trying to break the barrier. "No! Mom!"

"I'm truly sorry." She slowly stepped backwards.

Neal watched her every move. "No! Don't cross the line! Regina! Please." he begged kneeling on the ground, still pounding at the barrier between them.

As Regina stepped across the line, she felt like something had struck her.

Neal watched as Regina's body crumbled to the floor.

"NO!" he yelled.

•••


	15. The Different Forms of Love

**CHAPTER 15**

* * *

Neal watched as Regina's body tumbled to the ground. The shield slowly evaporated and he ran as quickly as he could to her. Everyone else stood at their cars, concerned, as they watched Neal kneel next to her on the floor. They were all not sure whether they should've ran towards her or not. Regina was about to wake up.

"Hey! Regina! Please remember! Please, tell me you still remember me" Neal begged as he watched her eyes flutter open.

She managed to sit up, looking at Neal's frantic expressions. Regina managed to look at him and whispered, "I still remember."

Neal still had tears in his eyes, confused by what she said. Why wasn't she glad? She still remembered him and everybody else. "Is something wrong?"

Regina looked up at him. "I can't forget the memories."

Everyone behind the line felt sorry for Regina. Even though she was the Evil Queen, no one should've gone through anything like that.

"C'mon, lets get you up."

When they stood up, Regina hugged Neal tightly.

"What am I supposed to do?" she whispered. "For the first time in a long time, I don't have a plan. I don't know what to do."

Neal soothed her by rubbing circles on her back, whispering assuring words to calm her down. They pulled apart, and Neal took her hands to lead her back across the line.

When she crossed, Henry ran towards her and gave her a big hug. She managed to smile, and hugged him back, as tightly as she could. Gold watched as his son held her; he could tell that he truly loved her. If his son loved her, then the least he could do was try to help. He walked up to the pair. "I think I just might know a way to help you."

Neal looked at Gold with doubt clearly displayed across his face. "How?"

"A spell that could help you control the things in your mind. Once you control it, you no longer need to fear it," Gold explained.

Regina nodded. "What's the price for that?"

Gold sighed, a part of him still not believing the fact that the price was what he was going to say. "I think making my son happy could be the exchange."

She gave him a small smile. "Thank you."

Gold gave a short nod and continued. "Now, I need you to give me something to cast the spell on. An object close to your heart.

Regina began unbuckling her bracelet almost immediately and handed it to him. Neal was surprised she chose the bracelet he gave her than Daniel's necklace, but he kept quiet, letting his father continue.

Gold held the bracelet in his hand and murmured some incoherent words. The bracelet began to let out an unnatural glow, but it soon faded. He attached the bracelet back on Regina's arm. She suddenly felt a surge of calmness over her body.

"You can control those memories. Don't let it haunt you," Gold advised.

Neal held Regina's hand. "It's been a long day, let's go home."

Regina looked at him. "Yeah, you go back with Henry. I'll go back to the mansion."

Gold glanced at Neal when Regina was about to open the door to her car. "I'm coming with you," Neal said firmly. "I'm never leaving you out of my sight ever again."

When Regina was about to protest, Neal's lips came crashing against hers, almost knocking her over. Regina couldn't help the smile that came creeping on her face, and when they parted, she grinned. "Fine."

* * *

Charming, Snow, and Emma were in the living room, drinking their mugs of hot chocolate.

"Do you think she is going to be alright?" Emma asked.

"Knowing Regina, she'd be able to go through anything," Snow said, sipping her hot drink.

"Let's hope she finds her happy ending then." Charming said while putting his cup in the sink.

* * *

Henry was back at Snow's home, in his room. He thought about the times with his mom while memories slowly invaded his mind.

It's midnight already, one side of his mind insisted, but the other side didn't listen. Only one thing was on his mind. You miss your mom though, the other side of his brain replied.

Henry finally caved. He took his jacket and quickly wore it over his pajamas. He slowly tiptoed his way to the door and opened it slowly, cringing when he heard it creak. Henry froze, straining his ears for any sounds of a bed creaking and the shuffling of feet. There were none. He quickly went out and closed the door softly behind him, and ran towards the mansion. It was dark out and Henry only had the streetlights to guide him towards the mansion. When he reached it, he took his keys out of his jacket's pocket and slowly opened the door.

Regina was sitting at the edge of her bed, clutching her bracelet. Neal walked in. "You're going to be okay."

Just then, Henry walked in the room. "Mom?" he asked quietly, shivering from the cold outside. He was there just in time to see Neal kissing Regina passionately, listening to his mom giggle as his dad nuzzled her neck fondly. They both broke the kiss when they noticed Henry there, and Henry's face was beet red.

"Uh..." Henry said intelligently.

Neal and Regina both laughed as Neal slipped an arm around Regina's waist and pulled her closer, smiling.

After the laughter subsided, Regina's eyebrows furrowed. "What are you doing here in the middle of the night, Henry?"

"I missed you," Henry replied shyly.

"I'm going to call Emma," Neal said while standing up, though he looked slightly amused. Henry sure did the guts to run across the streets just to see his mom.

Henry's face glowed red. "No, wait! Please don't send me back." he pleaded.

Neal chuckled. "I'm telling her you're going to spend the night here."

He went out the door. "Where's the phone," he muttered.

Without a word, Henry climbed on the bed and curled up next to Regina. She put her arm around him, while he hugged her waist.

"Mom, I missed you. Sorry I snuck out."

She looked at him and kissed the top of his head. "Just tell me next time, alright?"

Neal walked back in the room a while later, disrupting the mother and son moment. "So...I guess I'll be sleeping in the guest room?"

Henry glanced at his mom and back to Neal. "Do you want to squish together?" he asked.

Regina laughed at her son's choice of words. Neal tried to hide a smile. They looked at each other and silently agreed. He slid under the covers with them. Henry in the middle, and Regina and Neal on either side.

"Hey Mom, Dad?"

"Yeah?" Neal whispered.

"Can you guys tell me a story?"

Regina and Neal exchanged glances, knowing which story they were going to tell.

The story under the apple tree.

* * *

A/N: This was the last chapter of this story! Café and I hope all you ThiefQueen fans out there enjoyed this story. We would like to thank everybody who has read this story. We love every person who has followed and favorited it, and we hope you guys enjoyed it. We are really grateful for all the amazing reviews you guys have given. It was fun writing (and editing) this story, and you can check out our profile to see more. For a first fanfic, I find it pretty amazing that it could be this popular. It'll be exactly one month since we posted the first chapter by tomorrow! Isn't it amazing how time can pass by when you're writing?

Best regards,

Skye and Café

P.S. I can't but point this out: near the beginning, it said 'Neal kneeled'. HA. Sorry, just had to say it. Even though I think it's pretty obvious a lot of people noticed. :P


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